Friday, November 28, 2014

With the holidays upon us there are troves of books to curl up with by the fireplace. My paranormal romantic comedy goes great with mulled wine and cinnamon cookies. Part of Decadent Publishing’s 1Night Stand line, Frosty Relations features a young college graduate facing the complicated world of adulthood and confronting the frost mage she’s had a crush on for most of her life. Add some Christmas magic and Madame Eve’s renowned matchmaking service, and we’ve got the beginnings of an icy-hot love story. Those who’ve read my Halloween release Flirting with Fire already know Jack, this tale’s hunk. In keeping with the holiday spirit I’m giving away a $15 gift card. To enter, leave a comment here and drop your details in the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post.

Frosty Relations (A Witch’s Night Out, 2)

Attorney Jack Frost never understood why holidays did weird things to people. His secretary went on vacation, his best friend ditched their annual Aspen trip, and the law firm’s stubborn human resources assistant refuses his clerical support request. What’s a warlock to do on Christmas Eve but go on a 1-Night Stand? But when an oddly familiar empath shows up as his date, this ice mage has a hard time denying the magic of the winter solstice.

Faced with an anemic employment market and financial woes, college graduate and former witch Mina Mao lands an HR assistant job at Frost and Sons. Having spent her day saving Christmas from Frost Junior’s Grinch-like behavior, she accepts the gift of Madame Eve’s service and heads over to the Castillo Capital. When her date turns out to be her childhood crush and workplace nemesis, she braces herself for the sexiest icy ride of her life.

Globetrotter, lover of languages, and romance author, Tara Quan has an addiction for crafting tales with a pinch of spice and a smidgen of kink. Inspired by her travels, Tara enjoys tossing her kick-ass heroines and alpha males into exotic contemporary locales, paranormal worlds, and post-apocalyptic futures. Her characters, armed with magical powers or conventional weapons, are guaranteed a suspenseful and sensual ride, as well as their own happily ever after. Learn more at www.taraquan.com

Mina rolled her eyes at their joint reflection. “I know, right? And since I’m an empath, I could sense him getting, you know, all hot and bothered. Whoever he was fantasizing about, she turned him on big time. I don’t know how he could think about sex when he’s on the verge of exploding from too much unused magic. ”

Sweets snorted. “Men—warlocks or human—they care about one thing.” She picked up a handful of Mina’s hair. “Ready?”

Mina swallowed. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

Using the scissors, Sweets pointed at the set of combs and razors peeking out from a battered leather sleeve. “Can’t you feel the mojo rolling off my grandmother’s enchanted tools? These babies are idiot proof.”

Since not even her cousin could squeeze her in after 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Mina’s options had been limited enough to make her take a gamble. “But you have done this before?”

Patting her shoulder, Sweets bent at the waist and squinted one eye. “I cut Shelley’s hair all the time. She hates leaving the house, remember? Okay, yours is too long. You need to stand so I don’t get a backache.”

This idea seemed worse by the minute. Rising to her feet, Mina made a pinching motion with her index finger and thumb. “All I need is for you to take off the ends—nothing fancy.”

Her friend’s mock salute didn’t bolster Mina’s confidence. “Your hair is safe with me. Your head is another story.”

Mina closed her eyes. “Very funny. Do it already, will you? The anticipation is killing me.”

She heard a snip, followed by “Oh, wow.”

Her lids snapped up. “What do you mean, ‘Oh, wow’?”

She saw the answer for herself. Scissors and razors slashed around unguided in the air, slicing off huge chunks of her tresses in the process. Her friend stood several steps away, staring at the spectacle as if seeing the phenomenon for the first time. Since moving risked impact with pointy magical objects, Mina glared at the culprit’s reflection in the mirror. “I thought you said you’d done this before.”

Sweets’s expression lacked any hint of guilt. “Okay, I lied. Shelley’s grandmother is the actual owner of these puppies, and she always uses them on herself in the bathroom. Since her hair turns out fine, I figured they’d work on you, too.”

Her hands fisting, Mina hissed, “How do you turn the darn things off?”

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Vonnie Hughes, Regency and Contemporary Suspense author, is here to share her recipe for a delicious Never-fail Date & Nut Loaf that's ideal for family and company. This tasty treat is perfect with breakfast, lunch, or a good cup of tea.

Place dates in a medium-size bowl. Cover with boiling water. Add baking soda and soak for one hour.

Beat butter with brown sugar. Add egg and beat well.

Blend walnuts and vanilla essence with the dates and liquid.

Lastly, stir in flour, baking powder and salt.

Bake in a greased loaf tin (with baking paper is easier) for about 50 minutes. Keep in a sealed container for freshness.

NEVER FAILS.

Here is a little from Vonnie's latest Regency.

A kidnapper makes a grave mistake and faces a revenge he never expected.

Annis's new husband investigates crimes, and Caroline's new husband is a capable ex-Army officer. When their ladies are kidnapped in an effort to suppress the evidence of pilfering and murder, Giles and Fort fight their way through all the lies and subterfuge to not only rescue them, but also to avenge them.

EXCERPT:
Fort approached the person on the seat. “Mr. Young, we’ve been looking for you.”

If that was Mr. Young, why was he listing to one side like a ship at sea?

“Is he injured? Has John hurt him?” She hurried towards them.

“Stop!”

Fort’s peremptory order stopped her in her tracks. She watched as Fort examined Mr. Young’s head and neck. He lifted Mr. Young’s hand. It dropped laxly.

“He’s dead,” Fort said, turning towards Caroline. “Sweetheart, do you know your way out of the maze? I must stay here with the body. There’s been enough moving of evidence already.”

“How—?”

Fort gesticulated with a finger across his throat.

“Oh! I’ll fetch Giles. Sir William Harding will have to be notified too.” Caroline cast her husband an anxious look. “Please be careful, Giles, in case John comes back.”

“You be careful too, my love. Walk slowly and listen for footsteps on the other side of the hedge. And if you meet anyone—anyone at all, man or woman—scream. Scream loudly.”

Caroline nodded and plunged back along the gravel paths surrounded by greenery. To her great relief she met nobody, although she was so rattled by events that she took a wrong turning and had to retrace her steps. “Hurry,” she told herself. “Fort is alone there and John is on the loose.”

Vonnie Hughes is a multi-published author in both Regency books and contemporary suspense. She loves the intricacies of the social rules of the Regency period and the far-ranging consequences of the Napoleonic Code. And with suspense she has free rein to explore forensic matters and the strong convolutions of the human mind. Like many writers, some days she hates the whole process, but somehow she just cannot let it go.

Vonnie was born in New Zealand, but she and her husband now live happily in Australia. If you visit Hamilton Gardens in New Zealand be sure to stroll through the Japanese Garden. These is a bronze plaque engraved with a haiku describing the peacefulness of that environment. The poem was written by Vonnie.

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Bravest Squirrel is a children's chapter book series told from the squirrels' point of view and written at approximately a third grade reading level for both boys and girls. These entertaining animal adventures revolve around themes of self-reliance and, of course, bravery.

The Bravest Squirrel Ever: Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi the squirrel wants to return to her mama's warm, cozy nest. Instead, she and her siblings stumble on a better nest...in forbidden human territory. When she becomes trapped inside, Pippi must depend on her wits to survive, proving to herself and the world just how brave a little squirrel can be.

The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest: Max is determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan to rescue his Uncle Louie. Instead, he is locked in cage, sprayed by a skunk, dumped out of a truck, and abandoned with a hungry coyote hot on his trail. Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, Max discovers just how brave he really is.

The Bravest Squirrel in School: Lana has no interest in being brave, but she would like to be cuddled by a human. She ends up in a school bus full of children with no other squirrel to take care of her. With no one coming to rescue her, Lana needs to stand up for herself against the playground bullies and figure out a way to get back home. If she’s not brave enough to rescue herself, she’ll be stuck in school forever.

When his baby cousin Zander runs away, Chaz finally has a chance to live his dream of rescuing someone and proving his bravery. But Zander doesn’t want to be rescued, and he certainly doesn’t listen.

When the little squirrel crawls into a race car, Chaz follows him, expecting they will hide from the humans until the race is over. But Zander doesn’t stay hidden, wanting to try everything the humans do.

When the race car spins out of control, Chaz is the only one who can save them. If he’s not brave enough, not only will they crash, he’ll lose Zander forever.

The Bravest Squirrel Ever: Scared of thunder, lightning and being "flopped" by the humans, Pippi the squirrel wants to return to her mama's warm, cozy nest. Instead, she and her siblings stumble on a better nest...in forbidden human territory. When she becomes trapped inside, Pippi must depend on her wits to survive, proving to herself and the world just how brave a little squirrel can be.

The Bravest Squirrel in the Forest: Max is determined to prove he is the bravest squirrel ever. He devises a plan to rescue his Uncle Louie. Instead, he is locked in cage, sprayed by a skunk, dumped out of a truck, and abandoned with a hungry coyote hot on his trail. Max has to give up being brave and beg others to help him. When he has the chance to save Uncle Louie or risk his life to save a friend, Max discovers just how brave he really is.

The Bravest Squirrel in School: Lana has no interest in being brave, but she would like to be cuddled by a human. She ends up in a school bus full of children with no other squirrel to take care of her. With no one coming to rescue her, Lana needs to stand up for herself against the playground bullies and figure out a way to get back home. If she’s not brave enough to rescue herself, she’ll be stuck in school forever.

When his baby cousin Zander runs away, Chaz finally has a chance to live his dream of rescuing someone and proving his bravery. But Zander doesn’t want to be rescued, and he certainly doesn’t listen.

When the little squirrel crawls into a race car, Chaz follows him, expecting they will hide from the humans until the race is over. But Zander doesn’t stay hidden, wanting to try everything the humans do.

When the race car spins out of control, Chaz is the only one who can save them. If he’s not brave enough, not only will they crash, he’ll lose Zander forever.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

What is the one thing readers should know about you?I am a complete caffeine addict; I can’t function without at least two cups of coffee when I wake up otherwise I feel like I am participating in a zombie apocalypse.

What draws you to write BDSM?I have friends in the scene and it has always fascinated me. They are complete over-sharers and I jokingly told them once that if they kept telling me stuff it would end up in a book one day… et voilà. But seriously, I have loved writing in this genre and definitely have a few more books up my sleeve. For me the biggest draw about writing BDSM is exploring the issue of trust which is the most fundamental thing in any relationship, whether it is vanilla or BDSM.

What other genres/subgenres do you write in?Most of my writing sits within the contemporary romance and erotic romance genres. I would love to branch out into supernatural sometime but I haven’t come up with any complete ideas that I am happy with.

What is your favorite part of being an author?I love creating stories and bringing the characters to life. Sometimes I feel a little crazy with all these people living in my head but when they translate onto my screen I feel like I can live vicariously through them.

What is your least favorite part of being an author?That nerve-wracking part when you hit publish and wait for the feedback…Will people love it? Will they hate it? You spend months writing a book, polishing it and fine-tuning it and then you just have to let it go and find its own legs. And then once it is out there you have to resist going back and wanting to re-write parts.

Tell us about your latest release.Tied to You is an erotic BDSM romance set across London, Perth in Western Australia and Bali and features Alex, an Aussie Dom and millionaire winemaker, and Olivia, a self-proclaimed book ‘bounty hunter’ specialising in rare manuscripts.

What happens when you can see no way out of an impossible situation and then a solution that you can’t say no to is put in front of you? This is the decision Olivia is faced with when she loses out at an auction and Alex proposes marriage. But both come with baggage and secrets that have the potential to drive them closer, or even further apart.

But when it comes down to it, as the revelations unfold and secrets are exposed, the true strength behind Alex and Olivia’s relationship is exposed.

Fast Favorites

Vacation spot: Playa del Carmen on the Mexican Riveria
Hot drink: Grande skinny latte from Starbucks
Clothing item: Jeans
Item in your purse: Vaseline Lip Therapy with rose and almond oil
Time of day: 8pm: My 4 year old is in bed and I can chill out with my hubby after a busy day
Guilty pleasure: Terry’s Chocolate Orange… a whole one all to myself

Excerpt:

“We’re leaving,” Alex states in a tone that brooks no argument. I merely nod in reply and let him lead me to the cloakroom to fetch my wrap, and then we are sitting in the car, being driven home. The tension between us is thick, yet neither of us has said a word. I glance up at Alex under my eyelashes and see his jaw clenched and an expression that I can’t fathom in his eyes. Every fibre of my being is hyper-aware of Alex’s masculinity, and a dull throb sits between my legs. I squirm in my seat, trying to find a little relief, when suddenly I am aware of Alex’s scrutiny. His eyes bore through me, yet the expression on his face remains a neutral mask. A smirk appears as he runs his eyes over my body and I find my nipples hardening under my dress.

We have no sooner pulled up in front of the house than Alex is pulling me from the car and into the house. The door slams shut behind us and for a moment we both just look at each other, lost in the inevitable. And then Alex speaks. “Turn around, Olivia.” The command is issued in a low, gravelly voice, completely at odds with Alex’s regular teasing tone. The use of my full name startles me, and before I can think further, my body is already obeying. I stand still, my eyes staring up the stairs, as we stand in the frigid hallway, and I wait with bated breath. A few moments pass and all I can hear is our breathing.

Suddenly I am aware of Alex’s arms coming over my shoulders and unhooking the cape at my throat. It slithers to the floor, and for a heartbeat, the world stops spinning on its axis. I shiver as I feel Alex’s warm breath on my neck as, ever so slowly, he pulls down the zip of my gown. “Put your arms out and hold on to the end of the bannister,” he instructs gruffly. I comply without rational thought, quietly awaiting his next command. The single movement has my dress pooling at my feet as I lean forward to grip the smooth wooden post. Large, agile hands skim down my sides until they rest on my hips and I am very much aware that my arse is now in the air, the angle of my body on my heels offering direct access to my damp, aching pussy. The hands follow a leisurely pace down the backs of my thighs and calves, until they reach my ankles. “Lift your foot and then the other,” Alex orders. I comply and he pulls the dress out from around my feet, discarding it in a heap by the front door.

I glance back down at Alex, but immediately he notices. “Eyes forward,” he barks, and I whip my head back around, my heart thumping in my ears. The cold of the hallway has raised goose bumps over my skin and I am shivering ever so slightly. I feel Alex stand behind me, heat radiating from his frame making the cold more tolerable, and then I hear him shedding his own clothes. My body is feeling ultra-sensitive, and the moment his hand snakes around my waist and deft fingers find my clit, I let out a low groan, as the warmth starts to spread across my pelvis. His pelvis pushes into my arse and I can feel the huge length of him grinding between my butt cheeks. Suddenly, Alex’s other hand is grabbing my breast, pulling it from the confines of my strapless bra and, almost painfully, squeezing my nipple. Teeth nip at my ear and neck as he forces my head back, my back arching as I try to maintain my balance.

“I don’t make love,” Alex hisses into my ear. “I fuck, I root, I shag…but I don’t do soft and I don’t do sweet. Do you understand, Olivia?” I nod my head, a thousand conflicting thoughts swirling around my head. “If you want this to stop, you need to say so now…” he trails off and waits for my answer. My brain is telling me that this is all a bit weird, that this is not what I want, but my treacherous body has other ideas and so I keep silent.

Olivia Walker has just hit rock bottom. About to lose her job and become homeless, she can’t see a way out of the mess her life has become until Alex Davenport enters her life with a proposal she is in no position to refuse.

Wealthy and arrogant, Alex is used to getting whatever he wants and he has set his eyes on Olivia. For months he has watched her, waiting for the perfect opportunity to present itself to make her his, and finally it has appeared. But Alex is hiding a secret, one that he is determined to protect until, one day, Olivia makes a discovery that sets her on a course of self-discovery. Together they explore Olivia’s submissive side, pushing boundaries and taking her on the wildest ride of her life.

But when Olivia’s past threatens to expose Alex’s secret lifestyle, the time for truths and full disclosure is at hand. Can Alex let go of the fears that have bound his true nature? And can a couple that fell in lust find their own happily ever after?

Warning: This book is intended for mature audiences as it contains explicit sex scenes and BDSM themes.

Author Bio: Bibi is a former marketing executive and mum to a gorgeous little girl currently residing just north of London. She recently spent a year living it up on the beaches of Western Australia and her hobbies include consuming copious amounts of coffee and chocolate, building cardboard castles and creating stories in her head.

Inspired from a young age, her love for literature started with Enid Blyton and her Secret Seven. Since then a voracious appetite for books has brought her a world full of heroes, love, murder, betrayal and the odd vampire thrown in for good cause.

Having long admired those brave enough to put pen to paper, or in this modern age of computing, keyboard to screen, she has finally started telling the sexy stories that she has been keeping locked up in her head all this time.

Mix Jello and boiling water.
Add strawberries.
Set in refrigerator until it begins to gel.

Pour Jello mixture over cream cheese layer.
Refrigerator until Jello is set or overnight.

How about a brief look into my real art while you enjoy your work of art? Here's little from Zane's Art for your reading pleasure.

A high school art teacher must choose between her students and the artist she never stopped loving.

High school art teacher Julianne Truman's last chance to save her beloved art department from budget cuts is to sell the old sketches that her former boyfriend—and now famous artist—Zane DeMonde drew for her. But is she prepared to let go of his artwork and the last traces of him in her life?

Desperate to save his artistic reputation from the exposure of his early works, Zane returns to the home town he wanted to forget. He accuses Julianne of profiting from his success and demands she take his art off the market and cancel the auction.

Their high school attraction flares back to life, forcing Julianne to choose between the students who count on her and the man she never stopped loving.

Excerpt:
“Cancel the auction.”

Julianne Truman’s head snapped around at the hard male voice. The stapler fell from her hand and cracked open on the floor, as she caught sight of the extraordinary face that went with the voice. Her knees shook as she climbed down the ladder. She hadn’t faced Zane DeMonde in nearly fifteen years. At one time she’d believed he’d be part of every single day of her future.

“Zane, I didn’t expect you to come.” She stepped toward him. His black hair was a little shorter than the last time she’d seen him, but at shoulder length it was still far longer than most men’s. Gone were the black hoodie and ripped jeans of his youth. Now he wore chinos and a sharply pressed blue button-down shirt, open at the neck.

The dark storms in his cobalt blue eyes were exactly the same as the day he’d walked away from her. “Cancel the auction. The sketches and painting are not for sale.”

She swallowed. “I own them. If I choose to sell them, that’s my business.” And it was breaking her heart to part with the only piece of him that she’d been able to hang onto all these years.

“When they have my name on them and you’re getting rich off me, it’s my business.”

Getting rich was so far from the truth Julianne would have laughed if her chest weren’t so tight. “It’s an honor to have you back in town.” At least her students would think so. Her brother would likely burst an artery. And she—well, she couldn’t even begin to process the mix of emotions she was feeling. “Do you have a minute to talk? I can explain what’s going on.”

“I know what’s going on.”

She hoped he couldn’t hear how hard her heart was hammering or sense how desperately she longed to wrap her arms around him and pick up where they left off fifteen years ago, as if he’d never left her. “Then you know that the arts are at the bottom of the school district’s priority list. To have supplies for the classroom, to restore the school mural, to give my students a chance to explore different mediums, the art program needs an alternate source of funding.”

“You’re the Dentonville High art teacher?”

She couldn’t help feeling defensive at his derisive tone. “Yes, and I love my job.”

Friday, November 14, 2014

He was a man who liked complete control. She was a woman who would never give it.

The Epoch Mages and the Sorceri Bounty Hunters are ALWAYS on opposite sides of any issue. They H-A-T-E each other. But when a rogue witch decides to take over the world using flesh-eating zombies, Ardith and Draigh have to work together to stop her. And though they’ve twisted themselves inside out trying to deny their blistering desire for each other, they soon learn they’ll need to work together to accomplish what many before them have failed to do. Yep, it’s all gonna be downhill from there! Not.

~ 5 Stars from My Cozie Corner Book Reviews"A hard to put down novel that will capitvate you from the beginning."

~~*~~

The stench hit her first. The worst of it was the smell of unwashed bodies, sickness and stale booze. The next layer of reek was comprised of cheap, overpowering perfume, probably meant to disguise the smell of unwashed bodies, and the distinctive tang of unbridled sex.

All around her bodies swayed, pressed and inserted tab A into slot B…or vice versa. In a few cases only tabs were involved, in one, only slots.

Any way you put the parts together, however, it was a very uncomfortable place for a woman with a mission to be.

Ardith forced herself to move, searching the murky space for the rogue witch.

A hard body thumped into her from behind and two grubby hands climbed up her torso, painfully grasping her breasts. Ardith lifted an arm and slammed her elbow backward, feeling the satisfying crunch of the man’s nose against her skin.

Another hand slipped up her leather skirt and Ardith gasped. She reacted before thinking, sending witch fire into the man’s forehead. He flew through the air and slammed into another couple, inspiring the man from the couple to start pummeling the already unconscious intruder.

Someone roared. Someone else shrieked. Ardith’s action was a flame to dynamite. The room ran through its short fuse in about three seconds and all hell broke loose. The music dropped away under the resulting melee. A table whizzed toward her head and Ardith had to dive to the floor to avoid it.

Before she could climb to her feet, a heavy weight landed on her, smashing her back to the floor. The stench of filthy flesh overwhelmed her and she choked, retching. Ardith scrabbled out from under the man who’d landed on her and kept crawling, seeing an opening among the surging feet and flying fists, to get to a door at the back of the room.

Maybe Edwige would be there. If not, at least Ardith could regroup and figure out how to get out of the nasty club without being bludgeoned by horny ambrosiacs. She crawled to the bottom of the set of stairs leading to the exit and jumped to her feet, leaping out of the way as another table flew past.

She hit a broad, hard chest covered in leather. A delicious, clean male scent cut through the putrid air of the bar and, before she realized it she’d inhaled, delighting in the aroma. Her body tightened with pleasure. She lifted her gaze and her lungs clenched.

USA Today Bestselling Author Sam Cheever writes romantic paranormal/fantasy and mystery/suspense, creating stories that celebrate the joy of love in all its forms. Known for writing great characters, snappy dialogue, and unique and exhilarating stories, Sam is the award-winning author of 50+ books and has been writing for over a decade under several noms de plume.

If you haven't already connected, Sam would love it if you Liked/Followed her wherever you enjoy hanging out online. Here are her online haunts:

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Thank you so much for
hosting me! I'm incredibly happy to share this new release. I started it in
response to an erotica anthology call in the spring of 2013. The antho didn't
happen, but I continued writing, broadening my genre spectrum from hetero
erotica to GLBT and ménage. Though I'd already told the story of a gay boy in
my debut novel, describing full-on gay acts and choreographing steamy foursome
scenes so long they spanned over several chapters was a new experience and
quite the challenge! *laughs* I hope you enjoy this wild ride of mine as well J

BLURB:

Two young and indecently handsome bicyclists visit a village in the French Alps during the summer holidays. Forced by a raging storm to spend the night at the local bed & breakfast, they invade the quiet lives of hostess Anne and her husband, Brian.

A power outage plunges the foursome into darkness, encouraging new liaisons to form, life-long secrets to be unveiled, and steamy lessons to be learned. But once the storm moves on, can the four find a balance and resume their normal lives?

EXCERPT:

Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, she approached the unfortunate bicyclist and bent to grab his handlebar.

Surely by pure coincidence, one of his gloved hands landed on hers, curling strong fingers around her small ones and helping her pull until the bike stood upright between them.

Still, even as he stood on his feet, his hand lingered, holding hers firmly on the hard-plastic handle.

Anne looked up into his face, seeing him for the first time. How in the world had she missed such a jewel earlier? Among tanned, Latin features, a pair of black diamonds sparkling with mischief stared back without shame. His long, black locks were swept back in a ponytail, revealing a single golden earring in his left lobe. Large chest muscles heaved beneath a tight, pink spandex shirt, begging to be caressed by a woman’s hand, and black chest hairs peeked from the open collar.

Unable to believe the seductive intensity he exuded, she sucked in a breath and held it while the world narrowed. Her head buzzed. “What?”

“What?” The beautiful bicyclist used the same low tone, his full lips forming a teasing grin inches from her face. He was so near she could smell his hot breath. Intoxicating.

“Yeah. We’ve already asked in several different villages on our way here.”

Anne tugged at her trapped hand and took a demonstrative step back. “Please.”

“Oh.” Feigning surprise, the dark beauty lifted an eyebrow and removed his hand, allowing her to retrieve hers. “Sorry,” he added, rolling a thick R with his tongue, keeping his lips parted a second too long. A move so deliberately naughty, her stomach knotted with need.

As she retreated, he studied her face with a grin, arrogance and amusement gleaming in his dark eyes, before turning his attention to the two other men.

High-Risk Fever will tour the book blog sphere with Bridging the Gap Promotions December 8 – 19. Look out for guest
posts, interviews, and giveaways!

ABOUT LEA
BRONSEN:

Lea has always had a vivid imagination and written since an early
age. Now juggling life as a mother, full-time worker, and thriving author,
she struggles to find any reading time - but when she opens a book, she wants
it fast, hot, and edgy! Striving to give her own stories the same
intensity, she currently divides her writing time between psychological
thriller, erotic contemporary romance, and dripping erotica.

Jacob is nearly forty, and has recently
come to the sudden realisation that he’s not doing much with his life. Sure,
he’s got his own successful business, but what’s the point in earning lots of
money and not doing anything or going anywhere to spend it?

He’s in serious danger of being all work
and no play, so he starts to rectify this by organising a twenty four hour
layover in Paris en route to a meeting in Dubai. Whilst there, he goes on a bus
tour of the city, and there meets Annabelle, a fellow Brit who’s studying in
Paris. There’s clearly an attraction between the two of them, so when the
gorgeous Annabelle makes an indecent proposal to help Jacob fill his time in
Paris, who is he to refuse?

*****

Author
Bio: Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She
writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and
has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These
include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and
Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has
edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small
publishing house. She owns Erotica For
All, is book editor for Cliterati,
and is one eighth of The Brit Babes.
Find out more at http://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk.
Join her on Facebook
and Twitter, and subscribe to her
newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9

Friday, November 7, 2014

In my book, Legend of the Timekeepers—the prequel to The Last Timekeepers series—my 14-year-old protagonist Lilith is faced with the reality that Atlantis is on the brink of being destroyed, and her family must evacuate their home immediately. While many of us look back on our lives and think—where the heck did the time go?—it doesn’t take a catastrophe like Lilith and her father had to endure to make us realize that life is indeed short, and we’d better be grateful for what we have in the present. The following recipe will make you appreciate the sweet things in your life, and is great to prepare on those cherished afternoons of baking with a loved one.

Sprinkle 4 tbsp. (60 mL) of the ice cold water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top; press chunks down to bottom of bowl with fork. Add more water by the tablespoon, mixing until dough holds together.

Divide dough into two balls. Flatten balls into ½-inch (1.5 cm) thick disks, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Place ball of dough on lightly floured work surface. With floured rolling pin, roll out thinly from center outward. Cut out 6 rounds with 4” (10 cm) cutter. Repeat with second ball of dough. Fit rounds into 12 medium-sized muffin cups.

Bake on bottom shelf for 12 to 15 minutes or just until set. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool completely before removing from the pan.

Makes 12 Maple Madness butter tarts.

Now, while you’re waiting for your butter tarts to cool, why not partake in an afternoon of cozying up on the couch with a good book? Ready for a trip to Atlantis?

There is no moving forward without first going back.

Lilith was a young girl with dreams and a family before the final destruction of Atlantis shattered those dreams and tore her family apart. Now refugees, Lilith and her father make their home in the Black Land. This strange, new country has no place in Lilith’s heart until a beloved high priestess introduces Lilith to her life purpose—to be a Timekeeper and keep time safe.

Summoned through the seventh arch of Atlantis by the Children of the Law of One, Lilith and her newfound friends are sent into Atlantis’s past, and given a task that will ultimately test their courage and try their faith in each other. Can the Timekeepers stop the dark magus Belial before he changes the seers’ prophecy? If they fail, then their future and the earth’s fate will be altered forever.

If you haven’t already read Sharon Ledwith's novel, The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, here’s the blurb…

When 13-year-old Amanda Sault and her annoying classmates are caught in a food fight at school, they're given a choice: suspension or yard duty. The decision is a no-brainer. Their two-week crash course in landscaping leads to the discovery of a weathered stone arch in the overgrown back yard. The arch isn't a forgotten lawn ornament but an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis.

Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers--legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial--Amanda and her classmates are sent on an adventure of a lifetime. Can they find the young Robin Hood and his merry band of teens? If they don't, then history itself may be turned upside down.

To read an excerpt of The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, please click HERE.

Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/YA time travel series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, available through Musa Publishing, and is represented by Walden House (Books & Stuff) for her teen psychic series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading, yoga, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Master Alex is furious when a friend’s
submissive invites a naive stranger to his party. With his reputation on the
line, he must keep her out of trouble and away from curious Doms. Observing
signs of interest from her, he leads her down the path of wicked
temptations. However, when his ex-sub pushes her way back into his life,
he tries to find a balance between his discreet life and his public one.

Mercedes is fearful of the world she’s
stepped into, but the curiosity of what pleasures lie beyond keep her
interested in far more than the play. All is going well until a jealous
woman convinces her she’s out of her league. Desperate to regain control
over her life and heart, she pushes Alex away.

Will these two manage to find their way to each other, or is their relationship
doomed from the moment they meet?

EXCERPT

Mercedes popped an eye open to see
the candle nearly burnt out. I don’t
remember lighting this last night. Oh! The weight of a large arm wrapped
around her, and the sheet hung off the edge of the bed. Alex! He spent the night.

He groaned into her ear as she
adjusted her position. As she did so, there was a knock at her door. Mercedes
gently lifted his arm and rolled out bed, grabbing her silk robe from behind the
bedroom door and glancing at the time on the digital box, which read
eight-o’clock.

Who the hell could be visiting so early? She’d paid the landlord three months in
advance, and she hadn’t really met anyone to expect house calls.

From behind the door she called
out “Who is it?”

“It’s me, dummy. Poppy and Brian.”

Shit. What now? “Poppy, it’s not really a good
time. I was sleeping.”

“Just open the damned door. We
won’t take up too much of your time. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Mercedes sighed. Reluctantly, she
did as she was asked, and they made their way inside. “I’m sorry I don’t have
any coffee, guys. I haven’t even been here long enough to go grocery shopping.”

“That’s all right, sugar. We only
stopped in to see how you were holding up after last night,” Brian spoke up.

“I’m fine. Really. Though it was a
shocker that Poppy would even think to invite me. But, as you can see, I made
it home safe and sound, eventually.”

Never mind the fact that she had
walked into a sick joke by Alex’s ex-sub—or
whatever the heck she was called—Mercedes wouldn’t forget last night any
time soon. The moment she had a chance to take up the issue with Poppy, she
would. But not until they were alone.

As she sat across from her company
in the armchair, Mercedes clenched her butt cheeks and relaxed them. She
couldn’t get comfortable with the damned plug in her ass, and squirming or
pouting wasn’t going to make it go away any time soon. Shoot! I forgot that was still there. “Is there any reason why this
conversation couldn’t have waited ’til a more decent hour? Christ! It’s
Saturday, and I had a long night, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Brian smirked and peered around
her to look on the dining room table where Alex had left his jacket. “You never
told us you had company.”

“Well, that’s because you never
asked. Last I checked, I didn’t realize I had to inform you.”

He snorted, patting Poppy on the
knee. “You’re a cheeky one. I can see why you and Poppy get along so well.
We’ll be on our way.”

“So soon? I thought we might all
go out for breakfast,” Alex announced from the bedroom door, wrapped in nothing
but the bed sheet.

Mercedes flushed like a child
caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Great. Now, everyone knows the kind of things we’ve been doing
together.

“Christ, Mercedes. There’s no need
to be shy. We’re all adults here. Now, come in here and get dressed so we can
go out for some food. After that, I’ll take you to the grocery store.” Alex
nodded to his friend. “Brian, how about you and Poppy meet us at Alessandro’s
family diner?”

Mercedes was so embarrassed by the
chance meeting between her friends and lover that she couldn’t meet his eye. I can’t believe he just did that. He might
as well have stood there naked. Mmm…now there’s a thought.

Alex prancing around her apartment
in the nude made for perfect entertainment. Who needed art to hang on the
walls, when one swift look at his impeccably well-kept form was pleasurable
enough? Just how did I get so lucky?
If someone would have told her a week ago, that she’d move back to her hometown
and find herself in the arms of a handsome, built, and uber sexy gentleman, she would have called them a liar.

She wasn’t exactly the perfect
zero, or whatever the preferred size of women was these days. She was a healthy
size twelve, with large boobs and a generously curvy butt.

For years, she had struggled with
weight loss and trying to keep up with the social norm. But no matter what
fitness center she joined, or fad diet she tried, her svelte body always came
back. She’d practically given up thinking that anyone would accept her body for
what it was. That is, until now.

Ugh. Must think positive thoughts. Alex…naked…

She imagined reaching forward and
yanking the sheet from his body. Damn.
Today is shaping up to be a good one.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna
discovered her love of reading at an early age. When she isn’t devouring
salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys losing herself in researching
ancient history and mythology, weaponry, and hiking. She lives in Northern
Ontario, with her husband and two daughters.

Layna is a member of the Romance Writers of
America, creator of the Romance Author at Large blog, and is a monthly
contributor at 69 Shades of Smut. For updates on her upcoming releases, or to
leave her a comment, you can find at:

I write irresistible romance, from sweet to erotic and everything in between. I battle a serious NASCAR addiction and was once a landlord of two uninvited squirrels. I lose my keys several times a day, but I never lose my laptop.

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